List of United Kingdom censuses


The census in the United Kingdom is decennial, that is, held every ten years, although there is provision in the Census Act 1920 for a census to take place at intervals of five years or more. There have only been two occasions where the census has not been decennial: There was no census in 1941 due to the Second World War; and a mini-census using a ten percent sample of the population was conducted on 24 April 1966. There are actually three separate censuses in the United Kingdom - in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, although they are often coordinated. From 1821-1911, the census included the whole of Ireland.

Previous censuses

Published censuses

The census records which have been published relate to the occupants of each household on the date given below:
Because the 100-year closure rule was established after the 1911 census, information in later censuses will not be released until the dates stated.